This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and in particular to an improved full face vehicle wheel and method for producing the same.
A conventional vehicle wheel is typically of a two-piece construction and includes an inner wheel disc and an outer xe2x80x9cfullxe2x80x9d wheel rim. The wheel disc can be cast, forged, or fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inner annular wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion. The wheel mounting portion defines an inboard mounting surface and includes a center pilot or hub hole, and a plurality of lug receiving holes formed therethrough for mounting the wheel to an axle of the vehicle. The wheel rim can be fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, an outboard tire bead seat, and an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange. In some instances, a three-piece wheel construction having a mounting cup secured to the wheel disc is used. In both types of constructions, the outer annular portion of the wheel disc is secured to the wheel rim by welding to produce the vehicle wheel.
A full face vehicle wheel is distinguished from other types of vehicle wheels by having a one-piece wheel disc construction. In particular, the full face wheel includes a xe2x80x9cfull facexe2x80x9d wheel disc and a xe2x80x9cpartialxe2x80x9d wheel rim. The full face wheel disc can be cast, forged, or fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys. The full face wheel disc includes an inner annular wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion which defines at least a portion of an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the vehicle wheel. The wheel mounting portion defines an inboard mounting surface and includes a center pilot or hub hole, and a plurality of lug receiving holes formed therethrough for mounting the vehicle wheel to an axle of the vehicle. The partial wheel rim can be fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, and an outboard tire bead seat. In some instances, the outboard tire bead seat of the wheel rim and the outer annular portion of the wheel disc cooperate to form the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the full face vehicle wheel. In both types of constructions, the outboard tire bead seat of the wheel rim is positioned adjacent the outer annular portion of the wheel disc and a weld is applied to secure the wheel rim and the wheel disc together to produce the full face vehicle wheel.
This invention relates to an full face vehicle wheel including a wheel rim joined to a wheel disc. The wheel disc defines an axis and includes a body having a centrally located wheel mounting surface and an outer annular portion. The outer annular portion defines an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the full face vehicle wheel, and includes an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface of the outer annular portion defines an inner fit up surface of the wheel disc. The wheel rim includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, and an outboard tire bead seat. The outboard tire bead seat terminates at a generally circular shaped outer having a substantially full radius outer diameter along the entire periphery thereof. The circular shaped outer end defines a non-flat point of contact surface. When the outer non-flat point of contact surface of the outer end of the wheel rim is positioned adjacent the inner fit up surface of the wheel disc, the outer non-flat point of contact surface of the wheel rim abuts the inner fit up surface of the wheel disc at a single point of contact therebetween and at least a portion of the outer surface of the outer end of the wheel rim is spaced from the inner fit up surface of the wheel disc to form a generally annular groove for receiving a weld to join the wheel rim and the wheel disc together and produce the finish full face vehicle wheel.
Other advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.